With all the technology options available to agents now, a coalition of four state trade associations has established a hotline to provide some guidance.

The Professional Insurance Agents of Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York is now offering the PIA Technology Hotline, a member-exclusive resource it says cay help agents navigate their numerous technological options to assist business.

Diane Fowler

Diane Fowler, executive director of the four associations, said, “In order to be successful in today’s crowded insurance marketplace, independent agents need the right tools to make them competitive.”

“Agency technology solutions continue to evolve at a rapid pace; we recognized that our members need guidance in understanding and implementing new technologies,” Fowler said in a statement. “To that end, we developed the PIA Technology Hotline, an essential tool for members who want to make informed choices about technology for their businesses.”

The new service address questions on everything from Real Time, to comparative rating and management systems, the groups said. Members are eligible for up to 30 minutes of free consultation time with two nationally recognized technology experts.

The hotline is another of the resources for PIA members, which also include a Technology Info Central portal to access news, survey results and other data, and an upcoming PIA Lunch and Learn teleconference, dedicated to users of specific management systems.

Additional new services are in development to help members in the area of technology; details will be released as they become available in PIA publications, according to the associations.